Snowglobe is an EP by Jesca Hoop, self-released through Last Laugh Records on March 7, 2011. It was recorded after the artist moved to Manchester, England, although the material was written largely prior to the move. It contains four new songs, supplemented by two acoustic renditions of previously released songs. The track 'City Bird' was released as a free download on January 26, 2011, while the album was followed by a UK tour.
Hoop described the experiences of living in downtown LA in âÂÂCity Birdâ where she found that âÂÂthe block I moved onto was lined with these cardboard houses and people sleeping in doorways", which was contrasted with âÂÂexpresses my absolute love for homeâ in âÂÂWhile You Were AwayâÂÂ. A leftover from her previous album Hunting My Dress, the song âÂÂSnowglobeâ referred to her mother's funeral, which she âÂÂwould have put [...] the album to accompany the other two songs that I wrote for her, but the truth is that I could not sing it without getting choked upâÂÂ. The regular a cappella curtain-closer for her live-shows, âÂÂStorms Make Grey the Seaâ was written "by the sea". Although describing them as folk songs, Hoop maintained that while "folk tends to go towards your intellect, [she also wants to] tap into how your body relates to music".
The album received some critical acclaim, with Drowned in Sound calling it "a concise but precise chapter in the Hoop story", while the NME described it as a 'deceptively opaque EP'. The Guardian explained that "musically at least, is simpler and starker. The focus is on Hoop's otherworldly voice (...) while cello and guitar wisp around her".